Borba, 25. 03. 2005., str. 19

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March, 2005. No 11

domestic

Fear of Hell Reprise

Continued from page 1

Assessing, that ethnic cleansing in the time of peace, unprecedcented in the world, had taken place, the Belgrade authorities organized protest walks through the streets of Belgrade with a clear message to thc international community to inmmecdiately stop the cthnic Albanian barbarity and stop the killings of Serbs. The religious procession in thc strects of Belgrade was lead by Patriarch Pavle, head of thc Serbian Orthodox Church and Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica, who said that Kosovo had been preserved by love of the people towards that piece of land, which

bad always been the most valuable throughout the Serbian history.

- We will show the world that that there is a power much stronger than pure force or violence, and it is love and compassion, said Kostunica.

As a response to thc violence against their compatriots, a number of extremists set the mosques in Belgrade and Nis on fire, which got the attention of the world public much more than the real tragedy of Kosovo-Metohija Serbs.

"The violence first started in Kosovska Mitrovica on the eve of March 17, 2004, and SOOn turned into armed attacks on almost every Serb

enclave in the province. All Serbs living in the village of Obilic were practically expelled, since KFOR and UNMIK police had retreated to a safe distance. The cost of damage of the Serbian property was estimated to be worth tens of million Euros, and, according to Covic, between 50 and 60 thousand militant ethnic Albanians had participated in this organized terror.

In the year of deciding on the final status of the southern Serbian province, and when the state leadership is finally' announcing the setting: up of the strategy for Kosovo and Metohija, Prime Ministrer Kostunica points Out that it is nc-

of ethnic Albanians against Serbs in Kosovo

cessary first to secure thc protection and respect of basic human rights for the Serbs and other non-Albanians in Kosovo, that is sctting-up of standards first, as proclaimed by thc international community.

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Determined to Resolve the Problem of Missing

Belgrade - Work Group for Missing Persons in Kosovo from January 1998 to December 2000 held recently in the Palace of Serbia and Montenegro in Belgrade.

During the meeting, the rcpresentatives of Belgrade and Pristina confirmed thcir responsibility to do everything in their power to resolve this urgent humanitarian issue, it was said in a statemcnt of the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC).

"The partiipants adopted the general framework and working guidelines of the Work Group, and agreed to

use the provisory list of missing persons made carlier by ICRC as a basis for the talks.

- It is very important that we held this meeting after a year of slowdown, said Francois Stam, chief of the ICRC operation for Southeast Europe, who presided over the Group.

In the talks, ICRC appears as a ncutral intermediary, whercas the Group holds its mceetings under the patronage of thc Special UN Representative in Kosovo, Soren Jessen-Petersen.The Work Group has held only one meeting so far, at the beginning of March 2004. in Pristina.

In all Serbian Orthodox churches in Kosovo and Metohija a ceremony was held in memory of the victims of the last year's March violence when 19 people were killed, out of which 8 were Serbs. Around 800 Serbs houses were set on fire and damaged, 34 monasteries and churches were torn down and

desecrated. Thus the number of destroyed Serbian churches and monasteries rose to 150 since June 1999, while 4,000 Serbs were expelled, 900 more beaten and severely injured. During the commemoration walk, the citizens of Kosovska Mitrovica visited the Kolasinska street in that town,

near the bridge over the Ibar river and laid flowers on the spot where two Serbs lost their lives a year ago.

After that, a petition signing was Organized at the Brace Milic square in the same northern Kosovo town, for the resignation of UNMIK Chief Seren Jessen-Petersen.

Public Class of Love and lolerance

BELGRADE -– SERBIAN MiINISTER OF EDUCATION AND SPORIS SLOBODAN VUKSANOVIC ANNOUNCED AT THE PUBIC CLASS OF LOVE AND TOLERANCE Ar BELGRADE'S THIRD GRAMMAR SCHOOL ON MONDAY THAT THE MINISTRY WOULD PROPOSE THE INTRODUCTION OF RIGOROUS MEASURES AIMED AT IMPROVING YOUNG PEOPLE'S SAFETY.

Measures will include a past-midnight curfew for minors and a ban on thc sales of alcoholic drinks to pcrsons younger than 18, along with rigorous fines for re-

staurant and bar owncrs who violate this rule, Vuksanovic said.

Addressing, the students of the Vladislav Ribnikar Primary School and Belgrade”s "Third Grammar School, Vuksanovic said that students and thcir parents should engage in intensivc discussions about all problems.

“Try to avoid the evil and protect yourselves to thc maximum,” Vuksanovic said and asked them to do cverything they can to make sure that thcir schooldays and childhood become their best Dmemorics.

Addressing the other students, Belgrade's 'I'hiyd Gra> mmar School student Sanja Dzelebdzic said that they should become more optimistic. “Open your eyes and simply love every day you have in this world, do something useful, avoid selfishness since it leads to greed and contempt,” she said.

At Belgrade's Third Grammar School, Belgrade University Rector Prof. Dr Dejan Popovic attended the Class of Love and Tolerance, which was held in all primary and secondary schools

COT Mt O-ycar-old secondary

throughout „Serbia to comS tragic death

TKO of. school student Nikola Kovacević. PO

At noon, several thousand secondary school students from Belgrade, rallied outside the Ministry of Education and Sports and went on a prayer walk to St Sava's Cathedral to mourn Kovacevic, who died after being severely beaten by two 16-ycar-olds.

"The students were accompanied by thcir professors, headmasters and Minister of Education and Sports Vuksanovic. Karadzic and

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Mladic „„Invisible”

The best known white magus in Serbia, Lav Gersman, claimed in Belgrade media that The Hague indectee Hadovan Karadžić “may surrender one day, but general Ratko Mladić would never, because he is 1.000 miles away from Belgrade”.

Mr. Gersman, a Russian prophet who has already been engaged in Croatian gencral Ante Gotovina's pursuit, last week in Zagreb, added that he “absolutely cannot sec neither Karadžić nor Mladić, which means that they must bc at least 1.000 miles away from Belgrade”, but that “they are alive for certain”.

According to Lav Gersman, Karadžić is seriously ill, but hc may decide to surrender onc day, whereas Mladić would rather make suicide than go to "The Hague.

Kostunica Confident in Full Cooperation

BRUSSELS - SERBIAN PRIME MINISTER VOJISLAV KOSTUNICA SAID THAT SERBIA WILL FULFIL ALL OBLIGATIONS TO THE HAGUE TRIBUNAL.

Croatia is, with one unrcsolved case, a good example of what incomplete cooperation means to the European Union. Serbia will in the nc-

Voluntary Surrender

BELGRADE - The Serbian government's policy based on voluntary surrenders of indictees to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia has produced significant results - 10 war crimes suspects from Serbia and Republika Srpska have decided to surrender since last autumn, and their decisions Werc welcomed by key international community representatives.

BDetween March 1996 and November 2003, a total of 28 indictees from Serbia and Republika Srpska arrivcd in The Haguc, of whom 15 surrendered voluntarily, 11 were arrested and two were abducted.

ar futurc fulfil all of its obligations. Kostunica said, after meeting wit EU High Official Javier Solana in Brusscls yesterday.

I think there are many rcasons for optimism after thc talks with Solana and thc European Enlargement Gommissar Olli Rehn, kecping in mind everything, that

Feasibility Study

BRUSSELS - Kuropean Gommissioner for Enlargement Olli Rehn said Monday in Brussels after meeting, Serbian President Boris Tadic that thc drafting: of thc fcasibility study for Serbia-Montenegro (SCG) is nearing completion, that it will be ready at the end of this month and that he will be able to present it to the European Commission.on April 12.

"The EC will then submit the study for consideration to the Huropecan Union Council of Ministers and to the European Parliament. If the outcomc is positive, SCG will be able to pursuc the preparations for negotiations on an agreement on stabilization and association with the EU, Rehn said.

"This is a very important threshold for SCG on its path

has been donc in order to reccivc a positive Fcasibility Study. We know what full cooperation with The Haguc "Tribunal entails. It will be complctcd in onc part before the Fcasibility Study and will then be picked up aftcrwards, with all international obligations reaching thcir completion. Kostunica said,

towards the EU, Rehn said, adding, that SCG has a tangible and certain future in Europe.

Serbia has rcalized very good progress in several fields, such as thc reform of thc judiciary sector and of state administration, as well as regarding thc crucial pre-condition of cooperation with the Internatio-

Cedomir Soskic

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Texts in English prepared in cooperation with Tanjug

Solana and Kostunica also discussed the union of Serbia and Montenegro and morc specifically, the question of federal parliamentary clections and the Montenegro independence referendum.

"The intention is to secure the federal union and this was rciterated in my talks with Solana. Kostunica si id,

nal Criminal "Tribunal for former Yugoslavia, Rehn nc cc

Tadic pointed to the importance of a positive outcome of the feasibility study for Serbi, noting that the study is only a first step towards integration in Europe.

SCG is the sole country in Europc still without a fcasibility study, Tadic said.